This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with compasses.
Electronic devices are sometimes provided with compasses. For example, a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) device or cellular telephone may have a compass. Compass readings from the compass may be used for functions such as ensuring that maps are oriented correctly when displayed for a user.
Satisfactory compass performance is dependent on accurate alignment of the compass. If care is not taken, a compass may be misaligned with respect to the device in which it is housed and the resulting readings produced by the compass will be inaccurate. During manufacturing, devices that contain compasses are sometimes subjected to coarse “pass-fail” testing by passing the devices through a fixed magnetic field. If the compass in a device does not respond to the applied magnetic field, the device will not pass testing. Such coarse pass-fail testing is not, however, able to address whether or not the compass is properly aligned within a device.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improved ways to ensure that electronic devices with compasses will perform satisfactorily.